Just FYI---"Backpacking" magazine just came out with their gear issue. Some info on pads, tents, bags, etc. I hate it because I am, yes, I freely admit it---a gear whore.
Big Sky has an interesting tent out---solo at 1 pound 11 ounces. And the new Garmin GPS watch. So much gear, not enough money.............

Randy

__________________"Every man has a purpose---------mine is to be behind a rifle.........."

"I'd rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than be in any city on earth." ---Steve McQueen

A good night's sleep after a hard day of hunting is important to me as I'm an old guy. I use a bivy sack with Big Agnes Air Core inside along with a therma ridge rest pad. I don't mind sacrificing the extra space for the thermal ridge pad for the added comfort it provides.

Just picked up a Thermarest NeoAir X-Lite. At 12 luxurious ounces for the regular size, this takes another nearly 1/2 lb. off my kit while maintaining top notch comfort. This will be used for end of summer/early fall high country mule deer and black bear hunts. Still stick with the 19 oz. (regular size) Thermarest NeoAir All Season for later season elk hunting--very warm and comfortable.

Most folks should be quite comfortable in a wide range of conditions with these two pads to choose from:

__________________
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God?" Thomas Jefferson - Notes on the State of Virginia

Just picked up a Thermarest NeoAir X-Lite. At 12 luxurious ounces for the regular size, this takes another nearly 1/2 lb. off my kit while maintaining top notch comfort. This will be used for end of summer/early fall high country mule deer and black bear hunts. Still stick with the 19 oz. (regular size) Thermarest NeoAir All Season for later season elk hunting--very warm and comfortable.

Most folks should be quite comfortable in a wide range of conditions with these two pads to choose from:

Have you slept on that one yet jmden??
I've been looking at that one along with the x therm. I was wondering about the durability on the bottom about how it would hold up on rocky terrain.

Randy

Hi Randy,

The material is definitely not as thick as in the Neo Air Trekker or Neo Air All Season that I have as well and so would likely be more likely to puncture, it would seem. That said, I have owned many Thermarests over the years, many of which had the 200d or higher nylon, one of which punctured when I sat on it on some rocks that I thought wouldn't be an issue. Since then, I treat my pads with the utmost caution and have had zero trouble. Just like I don't let down get wet and take careful precautions to that end, I don't let my pads get in a situation where they could puncture.

However, I do think this material is puncture proof enough for my use. All my tents have floors, if not an additional 'floor saver' underneath and I spend some time making sure that nothing under the tent will damage the floor. Your situation may vary... Sounds like you end up on the rocks, in which case this pad may not be for you. I suppose if we were real men, we'd cut some pine boughs and make a bed out of those, huh?

This is lighter than any of the Big Agnes pads and I wonder if it's not more durable that BA's lightest pad as I've heard of issues with that pad, but I'm sure there's issues with this pad and any other if not treated carefully. Only thing was that with the older style foam filled Thermarests, I found them most often most comfortable with the valves open--a firmness like a puncture would produce. These new pads without any foam inside--they ain't gonna to work so well without air in 'em. But they sure are light and small. This pad will be smaller than a 1L water bottle packed in the Thermarest Fast and Light stuffsack (3.75" x 9.5" size), which I'm very partial to for all three of the above mentioned Thermarest pads, but this XLite will be swimming in it.

__________________
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God?" Thomas Jefferson - Notes on the State of Virginia